Pies have earned a spot in our hearts for being the last word consolation meals. Whether or not you like candy pies with lashings of cream or custard, or if savoury pies with gravy are your factor, this versatile bake has been round for hundreds of years and isn’t going anyplace. Pies are available many kinds, the pastry may be shortcrust, filo, puff or suet, or your pie may be topped with potato. Then there’s the query of whether or not to make a pie with pastry on the highest, backside or each.
The pie dish you select can have a big effect in your baked pie and there are simply as many to select from as there are pie variations. We examined a pattern of the newest pie dishes in opposition to standards that assessed their cooking capacity to evenly brown the pastry, launch the pie from the dish and different sensible elements together with dishwasher, microwave and freezer-safe credentials. We used the dishes to make a traditional apple pie with a moisture-rich filling to significantly check the dishes’ suitability for browning a pastry base. No soggy bottoms right here! Additionally included is aesthetic attraction – specifically that it would not look misplaced getting used as a fruit bowl when not on baking obligation.
Learn on to find our tried-and-tested picks of the perfect pie dishes and discover recipe inspiration for excellent pastry with candy and savoury fillings with our full assortment of pie recipes. For extra up-to-date recommendation on the perfect kitchen tools and home equipment value your cash together with every little thing from non-stick frying pans to the finest espresso machines, yow will discover all our product critiques, reward guides and style assessments in our critiques part.
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How to decide on the perfect pie dish
Pie dishes fluctuate vastly in model and dimension and there are many issues to think about when selecting the perfect dish for you.
First, take into consideration the fabric it’s constructed from:
- Steel and enamel pie tins are higher at cooking pies with pastry on the underside, lowering the chance of the dreaded soggy backside. However should you’re planning on leaving it within the dish to serve, a metallic tin might not look as fairly.
- Porcelain and ceramic pie dishes double as serving dishes and look good on the desk, however they’re higher suited to pies with pastry or potato tops. Many are additionally microwave secure which is helpful for reheating leftovers. These pie dishes usually are available a number of colors and types so you possibly can select one which matches your kitchen or crockery.
Dimension is a crucial issue: pie dishes are available every little thing from particular person sizes to massive dishes that may make eight or extra parts. Additionally think about whether or not you’ll need to create deep hearty pies or thinner plate pies. If you need a pie dish that’s versatile sufficient for use for various recipes, search for one which’s sufficiently big to accommodate a lasagne, gratin or pasta bake.
Greatest pie dishes at a look
- Greatest for no-soggy-bottoms: MasterClass Crusty Bake non-stick deep pie pan, £10.49
- Greatest for simple cleansing: Lakeland diamond spherical pie dish, £10.99
- Greatest single portion pie tin: MasterClass Crusty Bake non-stick particular person spherical pie dish, £6.49
- Greatest funding pie dish: Falcon pie set, £53.90
- Greatest-looking pie dish: Le Creuset stoneware fluted flan dish, £36.99
- Greatest glass pie dish: Pyrex Bake & Get pleasure from glass cake dish, £13.49
- Greatest stoneware pie dish: Mason Money Modern Kitchen pie dish, £20.50
- Greatest pie dish with handles: Staub 24cm spherical ceramic pie dish, £25.15
- Greatest small porcelain pie dish: Decide pie dish, £8.50
- Greatest with a pie fowl: ProCook porcelain pie dish and pie fowl, £17
Greatest pie dishes to purchase in 2022
MasterClass Crusty Bake non-stick deep pie pan
Greatest for no-soggy-bottoms
Star score: 5/5
Soggy bottoms can – fairly actually – make or break a pie, so we have been bought on the promise of this 23cm pan from MasterClass, which has perforations on the perimeters and base. This helps enhance the airflow and take away moisture, and it proved to be successful. Our pies got here out crisp and evenly golden, with a strong base, no leaks, and an excellent crust that was pulling away from the perimeters.
Seems to be-wise the dish is apparent however neat, with uniform holes, a sturdy metal construction, and 5cm depth. The non-stick coating labored properly too, and we had no bother slicing up our pie. There’s a lip on the rim of the pan that could possibly be a possible grime entice, however in any other case cleansing was a doddle, particularly as it may possibly go within the dishwasher.
This pie dish additionally scored extremely on worth, with a price ticket below £20 and a powerful 20-year assure.
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Lakeland diamond spherical pie dish
Greatest for simple cleansing
Star score: 5/5
This four-pack of sparkly blue pie dishes from Lakeland labored a deal with, however what actually stood out was the non-stick coating, which made the pies easy to slice. At 12.5cm throughout, the dishes make sizeable parts – ideally suited for one if baking a meat pie, maybe two for a candy one.
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The supplies are pretty strong; constructed from carbon metal, every dish is light-weight but sturdy, and this made it simple to take them out and in of the oven.
The outcomes have been spectacular – our apple pies baked fantastically with no soggy bottoms in sight. If utilizing our final apple pie recipe, word that smaller pies like these will bake extra rapidly than a bigger pie, so we might advocate lowering your cooking time by 10 minutes.
We liked the fluted edges round every dish, which gave the crust an ornamental contact. Cleansing them was a breeze, too, although it’s value checking the underside as the sides could possibly be vulnerable to trapping grime.
These dishes are additionally dishwasher-safe, although Lakeland recommends hand-washing to assist protect the non-stick coating.
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MasterClass Crusty Bake non-stick particular person spherical pie dish
Greatest single-portion pie tin
Star score: 5/5
When you desire to make particular person pies, this perforated 10cm pie tin is right (additionally it is out there in an oval form). The double non-stick coating meant our pie launched simply from the tin. The perforations enable air to flow into and we made a really pleasing particular person apple pie with an evenly cooked pastry crust and crisp backside. It’s a sturdy little tin constructed from carbon metal and comes with a powerful 20-year assure. It is also freezer and dishwasher secure. The non-stick coating may get broken by metallic utensils, so keep on with wood, plastic or silicone.
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Falcon pie set
Greatest funding set
Star score: 5/5
Essential for critical pie lovers, this five-piece enamel pie set is straightforward to retailer, with the 5 dishes nestled neatly inside one another. The oblong pie dishes are 20, 24, 26, 28 and 30cm, making certain a dish for each pie event. We made a profitable apple pie, evenly cooked with crisp sides and a properly cooked pastry base that launched simply from the tin. It’s an costly set, however enamelware is made to final and the dishes can be utilized for loads of different creations, together with crumbles and pasta bakes. The most important dish is sufficiently big to roast a small hen. The set is powerful however with an interesting retro model that appears good on the desk. They’re dishwasher secure, freezer secure and can be utilized on gasoline and electrical hobs, too.
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Le Creuset stoneware fluted flan dish
Greatest-looking pie dish
Star score: 4.5/5
This fluted flan dish has a better price ticket than others we examined, however – very like all Le Creuset cookware – it’s constructed to final. Made out of stoneware, it’s strong and has a 10-year assure. There’s two sizes out there (24cm and 28cm) and 11 colors, although some shades are solely out there in 28cm.
We examined the 28cm dish within the model’s iconic volcanic orange, which appeared spectacular after we eliminated it from the field. There’s loads of recommendation about find out how to care on your dish, plus protecting packaging for simple storage. Putting it contained in the oven was pretty simple, although it is fairly heavy.
We have been happy with how our apple pie turned out – crisp on the highest and well-cooked within the centre. It was softer on the bottom than we’d like, which suggests this dish could possibly be higher with drier fillings. In any other case it makes an attractive serving dish on the dinner desk, and cleansing up afterwards is easy. It’s additionally dishwasher-safe and may be saved in a fridge-freezer.
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Pyrex Bake & Get pleasure from glass cake dish
Greatest glass pie dish
Star score: 4/5
Superb for pies, muffins, and flans, it is a weighty 21cm dish constructed from Pyrex’s signature borosilicate glass, finest recognized for its sturdiness. The scalloped edges across the rim are a gorgeous addition to the in any other case easy design, and the 2 handles on both facet make it simple to switch out and in of the oven.
The clear base can also be a helpful option to monitor how your pie is cooking, and for us the outcomes have been a near-success. We discovered the filling of our apple pie was a bit moist, which meant the pastry was soggier on the underside than we’d like – it could possibly be that this dish is best for drier fillings or pies and not using a base. The remainder of the pie, nevertheless, was well-cooked with a crisp crust and evenly browned prime.
The dish is scratch-resistant and may be saved in a fridge-freezer or dishwasher. It additionally has a 10-year assure, which – for a price ticket of simply over £10 – provides nice value-for-money too.
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Mason Money Modern Kitchen pie dish
Greatest stoneware pie dish
Star score: 4/5
When you’ve received a big household, this 29cm stoneware pie dish is sufficiently big for eight parts, ideally suited for giant households or household gatherings.
Developed with a number of progressive options, this pie dish has a vented base in order that air can flow into beneath it even when it’s on a baking tray. The within has small embossed corrugated ridges on the bottom to assist with warmth distribution for extra evenly cooked pastry. Our apple pie cooked properly and launched simply from the ridges, nevertheless it had fairly a moist filling, so the pastry base was a bit soggy. We’re assured the dish would work properly for drier fillings or pastry topped pies. The embossed sample on the rim is designed to assist forestall pastry from shrinking again, and this labored properly for our pie.
It’s additionally microwave, freezer and dishwasher-safe.
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Staub 24cm spherical ceramic pie dish
Greatest pie dish with handles
Star score: 4/5
With two beneficiant handles, this chunky ceramic pie dish is way simpler to take away from the oven than many of the different pie dishes we tried out. The marginally fluted sides make for a reasonably formed crust and it’s a handsome oven-to-table serving dish. It is available in crimson, blue or white and there’s a 24 or 28cm choice.
We tried the 28cm dish, which is well sufficiently big for eight parts of pie. It baked a pleasant apple pie, the bottom wasn’t as crisp as we’d like, however for pies with drier fillings or pastry simply on prime, it’s an excellent alternative. It’s secure to make use of below the grill, in addition to within the microwave and dishwasher. You can also make use of this dish for loads of different recipes, like potato gratin and cottage pie, or as a serving dish for roast potatoes or greens.
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Decide pie dish
Greatest small porcelain pie dish
Star score: 4/5
This small, chip-proof porcelain pie dish is a superb dimension for 2 beneficiant parts of pie. The easy oval form and barely off-white color give it a impartial look that can match into most houses. Our conventional apple pie cooked properly and the pastry on the bottom was cooked with no soggy areas, though it wasn’t as crisp because the pies cooked in metallic tins. It’s a flexible dish that may also be put to make use of for particular person pasta bakes, gratins or a two-portion crumble. It’s secure to be used within the dishwasher, freezer, microwave and grill, in addition to being oven secure as much as 240C. 18cm-24cm sizes can be found.
Accessible from:
Horwood £6 (18cm)
Amazon £10.99 (24cm)
ProCook porcelain pie dish and pie fowl
Greatest with a pie fowl
Star score: 3.5/5
Pie birds act as a vent to launch steam out of your pie, in addition to offering a reasonably ornamental function to a do-it-yourself bake. You should purchase this white porcelain pie dish with or with out the pie fowl. It is 25cm large and 5cm deep, making a deep, hearty pie. The fluted edges assist create a crisp pastry crust.
Our deep apple pie cooked properly on this dish – the pastry was crisp on the perimeters, however a bit of soggy on the underside (we’d advocate utilizing it for pies with drier fillings or and not using a pastry base). This dish is microwave, dishwasher and freezer secure and would work rather well for crumbles, potato-topped pies and pasta bakes.
Accessible from:
ProCook (£17)
How we examined pie dishes
We made a traditional apple pie in every of those dishes. The apple filling produces numerous moisture, so utilizing it gave us a good suggestion of how properly every dish can prepare dinner the pastry bottoms. We checked out how evenly the pastry was cooked, in addition to browning, and whether or not it was simple to take away from the dish.
We additionally famous ease of cleansing, in addition to if it was microwave or freezer secure. We took into consideration the scale and total design, contemplating whether or not it could possibly be used for different recipes or as a serving dish.
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